Summary
It’s no secret that theAnimal Crossingseries is one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises. According to sales from the Japanese company, the series is its fifth best-selling, trailing behindThe Legend of Zelda. With five main games to its name, a multitude of spin-offs, DLCS, and exclusive mobile apps, it’s safe to say thatAnimal Crossinghas become a household name in the gaming community.
However, whileAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswas one of the best-selling Switch games, it was not above criticism. One of the biggest concerns in the life simulation comes from how players obtain their tools. Specifically, some people think that acquiring golden tools is too difficult for a title that emphasizes relaxation and casual gameplay.
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Animal Crossing’s Golden Tools Are Too Grind-Centric
Golden tools are the highest level of tools that can be utilized inAnimal Crossinggames. Typically, they’re crafted using golden nuggets but in past games, they could also be secured by trading or throwing tools into fountains to summon Serena the fountain goddess. At one point,silver tools were availablein bothAnimal Crossing: City FolkandAnimal Crossing: New Leaf, thoughAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsdecided not to feature them.
Golden tools have been a part of theAnimal Crossingfranchisefor years, though people were quick to notice that they seem more difficult to come by in the 2020 game. They also aren’t as durable as they were in previous games, since originally they weren’t able to be broken. The community has reported that it seems it takes an average of 200 uses before the tools become completely unusable, though this varies from tool to tool. For example, a Golden rod will break after 90 attempts and a Golden shovel can be used 200 times.
For a game that’s meant to be more casual, it’s a bit surprising to some that the series wants players to grind for golden tools. From the start, in the originalAnimal Crossing, trying to get them often required some rather bizarre methods like burying shovels in a holethat Bells used to be in.Animal Crossing: New Horizonshas a different progression system, but it’s not an easy task either.
Currently, theDIY crafting systemis the only way to get golden tools in the latest game. Unfortunately for some, the recipes aren’t immediately ready for use. Instead, they have to be unlocked by finishing assignments. It makes sense that golden tools are harder to get than the basic ones, but not all high-level tools can be acquired with the same amount of effort.
For instance, the Golden Shovel and Golden Slingshot inAnimal Crossinghave become quite notorious for the amount of effort needed to get them. This is made even more apparent when compared tothe Golden Axe, which can be crafted in the early stages of the game after going through 100 normal or Flimsy Axes. The Golden Shovel recipe can only be obtained through a player’s mailbox, but they have to help Gulliver find his communicator parts 30 times before it is mailed. Since Gulliver usually only appears on an island once or twice every two weeks, this means getting the shovel can take an incredibly long time.
Ifthe nextAnimal Crossingtitlemade some of these golden tools just a bit easier to get, it could appease the part of the community that wants to play the game more nonchalantly. Whether Nintendo has any plans to do so remains to be seen, but easing up on the system for golden tools is hopefully a concept that the developer is already considering.
